Online Sexual Grooming and Abuse Victimisation: A Study of Australian Adolescents

• In Event: Child Sexual Abuse Research Reduction Network: Showcasing Research on Technology-Facilitated Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

Abstract

The rapid evolution of technology and online platforms present challenges for implementing effective interventions to prevent the online sexual solicitation and abuse of youth. This necessitates development of intervention strategies focused on removing youth as targets. Central to this is understanding youth experiences online, their perceptions of grooming and solicitation risks, and developing their capacity to recognise risky situations and respond appropriately. However, there is a dearth of research directly engaging young people to understand the nature of their online encounters, their experience of being groomed for sexual solicitation and abuse, and the ways in which they are responding. The current project addresses these gaps in the research via a survey of young Australians (N = 304) aged 10-17. This paper reports the prevalence of young people who have experienced a range of different grooming strategies (including enticements, risk assessment, trust building, sexualisation, secrecy and isolation, deception, and aggression) and direct sexual solicitation online. Responses to each of those grooming and solicitation experiences were examined, including the likelihood of restricting the offender, withdrawing from the platform, seeking support from others, or reporting the behaviour. The paper also identifies various techno-social factors (including patterns of social media use and the employment of safety strategies), that may place youth at increased risk, or protection from, experiencing those forms of online sexual abuse.

Authors

• Katie Logos, University of Adelaide

• Russell Brewer, University of Adelaide

• Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar, Purdue University

• Edward Palmer, The University of Adelaide

• Bryce Westlake, San Jose State University

• Sarah Napier, Australian Institute of Criminology

• Mariesa Nicholas, Office of the eSafety Commissioner